OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Past and present Lowe's Senior CLASS Award winners, including 2001 honorary award winner Shane Battier, are teaming up this summer to assist fundraising efforts of the American Red Cross, specifically with disaster relief aid in communities hit by this year's rash of spring tornadoes and flooding.

Beginning this week, at least 14 winners will begin using their social networking outlets to solicit donations for the American Red Cross. Each former student-athlete will use Facebook pages and Twitter accounts to reach out to fans, friends and followers and direct them to a site for donation at http://www.seniorCLASSaward.com/TeamSCA/. A complete list of the award winners who have agreed to participate thus far follows this release as well as a link to their Twitter accounts.

Several former award winners have been directly affected by tornadoes this spring. Both Emeel Salem (2007 baseball winner) and Charlotte Morgan (2010 softball winner) graduated from the University of Alabama. Salem has been actively tweeting about his most recent visit to Tuscaloosa after seeing first-hand the devastation to his college community. In addition, Wayne Simien (2005 men's basketball winner) lives 50 miles from Reading, Kansas, and 150 miles from Joplin, Missouri, and Sedalia, Missouri - three towns that suffered severe damage from tornadoes in May.

"I've been back to Tuscaloosa in the last week and seen what this town is dealing with after the tornado. And I know there are many more towns just like Tuscaloosa that are struggling to pick up the pieces after severe weather," Salem said. "It's critical that we help as much as we can with the rebuilding efforts of these people and support these communities in their time of greatest need."

Shane Battier, currently playing for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, will reach out to his followers as well. Battier's decision to return to Duke for his senior season provided the inspiration for the Senior CLASS Award 10 years ago.

Winners of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award logged many hours of community service during their collegiate careers. Since graduating, they have remained active and continue to place a priority on giving back to the communities in which they live and work.

ABOUT THE LOWE'S SENIOR CLASS AWARDAn acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Sportscaster Dick Enberg, honorary chair of the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, first conceived the idea of an award for seniors in 2001 in response to the growing trend of men's basketball players leaving school early for the NBA. The award program has expanded from men's and women's basketball to include 10 NCAA Division I sports. The award is sponsored by Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, and is managed by Premier Sports Management.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN RED CROSSThe American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization - not a government agency - and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.